Frank: Frank: We all know the buzz words that people use to trick their clients, metadata, engagement, ROI, and the worst buzz word of all, one that when I hear it triggers something very dark in me.

Ben : I think we're going to go viral.

Frank: We all know how important actual analytical data has become to what we create. Good design isn't just making something look pretty; we have to build things thinking of the user first. The ability to defend our work is one of the greatest assets to the creative vision but this marriage of data and creativity wasn't always a match made in heaven.

Ryan: Where's the research? How's this going to perform in search? What about load time?

Frank: How would you know you? You have zero taste. You wear the same polo and khakis every day.

Frank: Okay, listen I have to an advance screening of 50 Shades of Gravy, it's an erotic play about fried chicken so I really want to get out of here and I'm sure you have to go home and work on you BattleBots so let's figure something out.

Ryan: Fine. Just let me try to explain this to you.

Frank: Yeah.

Frank: How's it going?

Sean: Hey, Frank. Oh, he's got it. You got it.

Ryan: We did it. I just got an email from the client. It's approved.

Frank: So this is it, huh? Friends?

Ryan: No, best Friends.

Frank: Well, that was weird but seriously we've all gotten really good at collecting data whether it's googling analytics, iTracking, heat maps, or actually talking to somebody. The problem is most people don't know what to do with this information. One group that's figured it out is It's a business video hosting platform with extensive analytics and viewer data. For each one of your videos you can see when and where somebody watched it. You can see what percentage of the video somebody actually viewed and you can see when that same person came back and watched another one of your videos. It's insane how deep you can dive. The guys up there in Cambridge are working hard to provide even more data. Isn't that right, guys?

Wistia: That's right, Frank.

Frank: Data is not intended to stifle creativity; it's about using research, measuring goals, improving your process, and helping your clients understand their investment. The key here is balance. Use this information and trust your gut. Yes, a pop up email form may convert better that a passive one but are a few fake email addresses worth annoying your audience. I mean when does this approach ever work?

Episode 8 - Data vs. Creativity

Data and creativity don't have to be natural enemies. This week, find out where to go to collect relevant data and how to use it to create innovative and user-friendly designs...and you might even make some unusual friends along the way.